Chocolate Nibs AKA Cacao Nibs

Chocolate nibs also known as cacao nibs are basically just cacao beans that have been broken down into smaller pieces. Whole cacao beans come from the cacao fruit which is shaped like a football.

The cacao beans are fermented and sun dried before they are roasted which helps to remove the shell or husk that surrounds the chocolate nib.

Chocolate nibs in their raw state contain so many nutrients such as lots of antioxidants and important minerals as well as vitamins. And the caffeine in raw chocolate nibs is lower than the caffeine found in cooked chocolate nibs.

Chocolate Nibs 101

The cacao tree grows in tropical regions around the globe and the fruit of this tree is where cacao beans come from.

The fruit looks like a pod or a football and contains lots of cacao beans.

And the cacao beans have a membrane or pulp which will fall away when you ferment the beans.

Shelled cacao beans are the "nib" and are ready for further processing or eaten "as is".

You may find that raw chocolate nibs are very bitter tasting and unappealing all by itself.

Roasting helps bring out a more pleasant chocolate taste and makes the shelling process much easier!

Raw Chocolate Nibs aka Raw Cacao Nibs

You can blend cacao nibs into a higher fat cacao powder. And if you keep blending the nibs, you will create a paste which is more liquid than powdery.

Most people will use a sweetener to even out the natural bitter
taste of the cacao nibs when they add them to their smoothies, etc.

In its raw and unadultered state, this food is actually a valuable and potent super-food loaded with nutrients and brain chemicals very similar to the ones our bodies create when we are in-love.

And when processed at low temperatures this protects its antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Besides magnesium, other essential minerals are present in cacao nibs such as calcium, zinc, iron, copper, and potassium. And in its raw state it contains B vitamins and vitamin E.

Caffeine in Chocolate

Raw cacao nibs contain very small amounts of caffeine and theobromine. Theobromine is the sister molecule of caffeine and is less of a stimulant.

Experiments have shown that these stimulants are far different when consumed raw or are low temperature dried rather than roasted.

The caffeine in cooked or roasted chocolate has a much more stimulating effect than chocolate that is in the raw state.